Bengals Statistics

Browns Statistics

BEREA, Ohio — As he left the field, Rob Chudzinski looked at the smiling young fans cheering
from the sideline bleachers.

Once upon a summer, he was one of them.

Chudzinski, a Toledo native who grew up a die-hard Cleveland Browns fan and ate a few dog
biscuits in his time, heard some barks, so he pumped his fist and called for more. He then slapped
a few hands and later returned to sign autographs.

His first training camp practice as the team’s new coach couldn’t have gone any better.

“It was awesome,” Chudzinski said, “just looking out and seeing some of those young faces out
there with their Browns jerseys on and knowing how much that meant to me and, I’m sure, how much it
means to them. That’s the kind of excitement we want out here at practice and we want to generate.
Our fans deserve it, and we plan on giving it to them.”

One year after training camp opened with the stunning news that the franchise was being sold,
the Browns were able to concentrate on football.

On a cloudless day, quarterback Brandon Weeden looked sharp throwing crisp passes. Running back
Trent Richardson, lighter and healthier than last year, darted quickly around the field to the
approval of Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown, who is back as an adviser with the team.

There was even a fight involving Pro Bowl offensive tackle Joe Thomas.

“Joe was in there somewhere,” Chudzinski said. “I don’t know if he started on top and ended up
on the bottom or not. I was in the melee there, too. It’s training camp. Energy is high.”

So is optimism.

Just like every NFL team in July, the Browns feel good about their chances to contend this
season. But until like last year, when the announcement that Randy Lerner was selling the team to
Jimmy Haslam rocked the organization to its core and led to another front office overhaul, there is
a genuine belief that this season could be different.

“This team has so much steam going forward,” said Weeden, who is hoping to build off an
inconsistent rookie season. “We feel like we were so much better than our record last year (5-11).
We have a good football team, and we’re just champing at the bit to get started again.”

Chudzinski’s presence has accounted for much of the good vibrations. This is his second go-round
with the Browns after serving as their offensive coordinator for two seasons. He has his dream job,
and his passion already has made an impact on the players.